Adjustment for the backs of type-writer chairs.



0.1. TRAVERS.

ADJUSTMENT FOR THE BACKS OF TYPE WRITER CHAIRS.

APPLICATION FILED OCT- H.191?- ted Apr. 16, 1918.

= srnrns rarnnr ornren CHARLES J". TRAVERS, OF PORT WASHINGTON, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR T0 GILSON' MANUFACTURING 00., A CORPORATION OF WISCONSIN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 16, 1918.

Application filed October 11, 1917. Serial N 0. 195,875.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES J. 'TRAVERS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Port Washington, in the county of Ozaukee and State of WVisconsin, have invented new and useful Improvements in Adjustments for the Backs of Type-VVriter Chairs, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to adjustments for chairs, and has special reference to such as are employed in connection with the backs of type-writer and sewing-chairs, wherein, as is well known, theback-pads are generally adjustable at the upper ends of the supporting-standards and the'latter pivotally and yieldably supported at their lower ends, all of which tend to lend comfort and ease to the chair-occupant.

The principal objects of my present invention are to produce an adjustment of the class described which, for the most part, is capable of being constructed of sheet-metal, and hence cheapened in manufacture; which is rigid and durable in use; the adjustment of whose parts may be accomplished by the occupant from the seat; and wherein the back-pad may be rigidly attached, if desired to the back-standard, and yet is capable of ready adjustment; and, furthermore, where in may be omitted the means usually employed for adjusting the back-pad.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter appear, and the novel features thereof will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawing Figure 1 is a plan view of an adjustment embodying my improvements, the back supporting standard and the arms supporting the .same being-shown in section; and

Fig-2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of the adjustment, the nearest backstandard supporting-arm being shown in side elevation and the back-standard being broken away above the same.

Similar numerals of reference indicate.

similar parts in all the figures of the draw in %n practice, I employ the usual sheetmetal spider-arms 1, formed of angle-iron, the same having their upper horizontal flanges outwardly disposed and provided near their outer ends with perforations 2, through which, it will be understood, are

upwardly inserted the screws (not shown) by which the chair-seat is secured in place. These spider-arms, in this instance, are connected near their rear ends by a sheetmetal cross-brace 3, the opposite ends of the brace being downwardly bent. and secured, preferably by rivets 4, to the inner sides of the vertical flanges of the'arms.

Loosely suspended from a central aperture formed in the cross-brace is an ad justing-bolt 5, upon the lower end of which is threaded an adjustable hand-wheel 6, that supports a washer 7 the latter, at diametrically opposite points, being upwardly bent, as at 7*.

, At a suitable distance in advance of the cross-brace 3, a transverse bolt 8, connects the opposite vertical flanges of the spider- Y arms 1, and pivoted upon the latter, so as to be capable of vertical movement at their rear ends, is a pair of back-standard supporting-arms 9, the same being, in this instance, of uniform width, and, therefore, formed of ordinary blanks of sheet-metal. In rear of thespider-arms, the supporting arms 9 converge, as shown, for the purpose of embracing the back-standard, as hereinafter described.

A spacing-sleevelO, is preferably mounted on the bolt 8, and is interposed between the supporting-arms 9, whereby the latter are retained in proper spaced relation with each other, the rear portions of the arms being maintained in like spaced relation by a transverse spacing-plate 27, the opposite ends of which are downwardly disposed (see dotted lines Fig. 2) and riveted, as at 27 to said arms 9. The spacing-plate 27 is provided with an aperture 27", to permit of the passage therethrough'of the adjusting-bolt 5, the aperture being somewhat larger than the bolt, so that thebolt may always remain substantially vertical. 7

A pair of coiled-springs 11, are mounted upon the sleeve 10, the upper terminals 12, of the springs enga ing under the transverse spacing-plate 2 ,at opposite sides of the bolt 5, and the lower terminals 13, of

the springs resting upon the washer 7, and i support the arms. '9, the/tension \of. the a springs being readily increased or diminished by a manipulation of the hand-wheel (3, through which the terminals of the springs may be adjusted toward or away from each other.

14: designates the back-supporting standard, which, it will be understood, carries the usual back-pad (not shown) at its upper end. To give to this back-pad the desired adjustability, it is usual to'slot the u per end of the standard and connect the pad to the standard by means of an adjusting bolt carrying a. handwheel,'the latter projecting outwardly at the'back of the'standard. This wheel is'not only unsightly, but forms a projection upon which the clothing of the user of the chair isapt to catch and tean'sothat it is highly desirable to obviate the use of this form of adjustment. In the present instance, therefore, it will be understood that I secure the back-pad rigidly in position uponth'e supporting-standard 14, and hence omit the unsightly and undesirable handwheel for adjusting and securing the-same in position. At the same time, -ho\'veve'r, it will be apparent, 1 yet secure the adjustable feature of the back-pad but do so through the standard itself.

Any desirable means may be employed for pivotallv mounting the back-standard 14 at its "front edge between the standard supporting arms 9, one very simple means being illustrated wherein the arms 9 have punched inwardly therefrom at opposite points, rounded lugs 15, the latter engaging corresponding bearin -recesses 16, formed in the opposite sides or" the standard; Upon these lugs the standard A iscapable or swinging back and forth, as will be'obvious.

The arms 9 may be provided with'eurved slots 19, and a corresponding though preterably somewhat longer slot 20, may register with the slots 19 and be formed in the bade standard 14%, near the lower end of the'latter, the two sets of slots being concentric "with the bearing-lugs 15. Through the slots 19 and '20,"is passed a transverse clamping-bolt 21, at one end of which is the usual head and at the other a hand-wheel 23. It is usual, in instances'of this kind, to slotthe arms 9, and, in order that said 'slots ma'y be of 'suiiicient length to give the standard proper adjustability, said arms 9 are generally flared or widened at "their rear ends. By this arrangement described, the arms 9 may be formed of a strip ofmetal of uniform width and the slots 19 -made shorter than usual and'within the confines of the arms, the adju'stability desired beingse'cured by'rea'son of the presence or the slot 20in the standard. 7

it will be-understood, of course, that "the adjustment is permanently mounted atthe upper. end of the usual adjus'ti ng s tandard ea,- these are tarts being secures. to east.

other in any desired and well-known manner. In the present instance, however, I employ a tubular transverse bridge 25, the same being preferable by reason of itslightness, strength, and rigidity. lhe ends of the bridge-piece may beprovided with tenoases, let into the corresponding openings or mortises 29 formed in the vertical flanges of the spider-arms 1, the ends of the tenons being headed. In this manner the spiderarms are rigidly connected and cannot work loose as ifthese parts were merely riveted together. The bridge-piece, it will be E'u'nderstood, is provided with upper and letter alini'ng openings 80, and these receive the upper reduced endBl of the adjustingstandard, the latterbeing headed "or upset above the bridge.

It will be obvious that by pivoting the arms 9 attheir front'ends and having them under the tension of the twosprings 11, said' arms, and, consequently, the batik-standard 14 together with the back-pad carried thereby, will 'yieldingly resist the bodypressure exerted by the occupant of the chair,so that the back of the occupant is -at all times comfortably supported. The amount of resistance to the body-pressure may be conveniently regulated by'the handwheel 6, the latter being within easy reach of the occupant. Thus, by rotating the wheel so that it is run upwardly upon the bolt 5, the tension "of the springs "11, and, hence, the yielding support of the arms 9, will be increased, as the terminals of the springs will be thereby forced toward each other, and by a reverse'rotation oi the handwheel, the terminals of the springs will "be permitted to expand so that "the'coils will be under somewhat less tension. The occupant may also raise, lower, and incline the back-standard to-suit his comfort and taste by loosening the hand-wheel 'adjusting the parts the desired degree, andsubsequently retightening the hand-wheel so that it causes the rear ends of the arms-9 to 'elamp and hold the baek standard atthe desired pointof adjustability.

Having described my invention, what I claim is: I 7 1. The combination, 'insa chair-iron,'with a pair of rearwardly'dispesed pivoted"*arms provided near their rear "ends with curved parallel companion slets, and in advance of the same with inwardly punched rear- Wardly disposed rounded bearing torigiju'es concentric withthe slots, o'f'a'back-sup'porting standard embraced by said "arms and having a transverse bearing at its front edge pivotally engaging said "tongues, a clamping-bolt passed through "the slots or the and through "the standard, "and a hand-wheel threaded on oneend oii'th'e-b'olt. 2 The 'combination, in a chair-'iren, with a air-orrearward-1y 'dispesed'pitoted ante provided near their rear ends with curved parallel companion slots, and in advance of the same with inwardly punched rearwardly disposed rounded bearing-tongues, of a back-supporting standard embraced by said arms and provided with-a transverse bearing-recess at its front edge pivotally engaging said tongues and in rear thereof having a concentric slot correspond ing to the slots of the arms, a clamping-bolt passed through the slots of the arms and of the standard, and a hand-wheel threaded on one end of the bolt.

3. The combination, in a chair-iron, with a pair of pivotally supported rearwardly disposed arms, means for yieldingly pressing the same upward, opposite bearingtongues punched inwardly from said arms and ofiset therefrom, of a back-supporting standard having a transverse bearing at its front edge pivotally mounted to rock on said arms, and means for securing said standard in adjustedrelation with said arms.

4. The combination, in a chair-iron, with a pair of rearwardly disposed back-stand ard supporting-arms, a back-standard embraced by said arms, and means for securing the standard in adjusted relation with said arms, of a transverse pivotal support for the front ends of the arms, a pair of spiderarms paralleling the supporting arms, a transverse-brace connecting the pider-arms, a tension-bolt depending from the brace, a spacing-plate connecting the supporting-arms, a hand-wheel threaded on the lower end of the tension-bolt, a washer upon the bolt above the hand-wheel, and a pair of springs coiled about the pivot of the arms and having their upper and lower terminals engaging the transverse brace and the washer respectively.

5. The combination, in a chair-iron, with a pair of spider-arms formed of angle-iron, a transverse brace connecting the vertical flanges of the same, a transverse bolt connecting the flanges in rear of the brace, a pair of back-standard supporting-arms pivoted at their front ends upon the bolt be tween the spider-arms, a spacing-sleeve mounted on the bolt and interposed between the said supporting-arms, and a spacingplate connecting the supporting-arms, of a back-standard adjustably mounted between the latter arms, a tension-bolt depending through an opening formed in the transverse brace between the supporting-arms, and passing through an aperture in the spacing-plate, a hand-wheel threaded on the lower end of the bolt, a washer carried by the bolt, and a pair of springs coiled at their centers about the spacing-sleeve and having their upper and lower terminals re-,

spectively engaged by the said brace and Washer.

6. The combination, in a chair-iron, with a pair of rearwardly disposed sheet-metal arms provided with inwardly punched bearing-tongues, of a back-supporting standard having one of its edges grooved to receive said bearing-tongues, whereby said standard becomes pivotally mounted between the said arms, and means for securing said back-standard in its adjusted pivoted relation with said arms.

7. The combination, in a chair-iron, with a pair of rearwardly disposed sheet-metal arms provided with inwardly punched bearing-tongues, of a back-supporting standard having opposite bearing-recesses to receive said tongues, whereby said standard becomes pivotally mounted between said arms, and means for securing said backstandard in its adjusted pivoted relation with said arms.

CHARLES J. TRAVERS. 1 Witnesses:

T. A. BOERNER, H. W. BOLENS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

